Pat’s Back And That’s That!

“Fingers crossed.” 

That was the last thing Tom Gudauskas said before hanging up the phone. Less than two hours later, as Ian Gouveia lost to John John in the semis, his son, Patrick, was back on the world tour. Like that, years of clinging to the dream paid off.

A simple text from the commissioner landed in Pat’s inbox. It confirmed what the family giddily figured.

“Yeah Pat! It’s official mate your on in 18. Congrats.”

“It’s Kieren.”

It’s not exactly an engraved invitation, and we’d be remiss if he didn’t note Kieren’s contempt for punctuation, but for Pat it’s as if Shakespeare, the old Bard himself, had hand scribbled him a sonnet.

Earlier in the day, his father, Tom, had called to let me know that the boys were going to be donating $10,000 from the Positive Vibe Warriors’ Stoke-O-Rama contest to the San Clemente Junior Lifeguard program. Now back from the islands, Pat, Tanner and Dane hatched their latest plan as the webcast hummed in the background.

Pat fell off tour back in 2013. He’s made a run at the big leagues a couple of times since, but until just now, has been unable to muster a complete campaign. Last year, the WSL headline read: “Patrick Gudauskas Doubles Down on a CT Comeback.” He finished the season ranked 29th.

This lap around the sun, Pat came into the Triple Crown with an outside shot of making the cut. He’d been here before, of course. But this time he was acutely focused in Hawaii. He had the look in his eyes, knowing he needed to perform or face the inevitable question of “what next?”

Haleiwa treated him alright, but it wasn’t the result he needed. As seems to happen with Californians in Hawaii, it came down to Sunset. With his brothers working the pit crew, Kimo Leong (aka Kanaka Solutions) on security, Pat went to work.

He made heats. He made it to the semis alongside West Coast comrades Kolohe Andino and Conner Coffin. Then he got lucky. Kanoa won today. Pat deserves a little luck on his side after so many close calls.

And so now he’s back and so is a revamped San Clemente mafia. Griffin Colapinto’s winter was second to none. The first Californian to ever win the Triple Crown? The opportunity to be “the first” at something like that doesn’t come around all that often. It certainly won’t ever again. And as weird as it may sound, with Griff hot on his heels, Kolohe Andino graduates to role of grizzled veteran. True, Pat’s older, but Brother’s done more time on tour (and spends more time bass fishing or whatever old men do in camouflage). 

Add to that mix Conner Coffin and Kanoa Igarashi and we could be coming into a little golden moment for California surfing. Pat’s earned it. Griffin’s going to break some hearts next year. Kolohe? Man, Brother’s just one roll away from something special. All of them have earned it. The question is, who’s going to be the first to win a world title? Lest we forget, Curren was the last Californian to drink from the cup.